


Scavenger Hunt

by EchoThruTheWoods



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, One 'yo' is all you get
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 22:25:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15519957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoThruTheWoods/pseuds/EchoThruTheWoods
Summary: Elena needs to get her head together after the incident with the Remnants. Sent out with Reno and Rude, she finds herself partnered with Reno when the mission gets complicated.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vietta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vietta/gifts).



Every morning, Elena stared at her image in the mirror and repeated the same two sentences: _Fuck the bastards. I got this._

The Remnants were dead. She lived. There was no reason to see those three white faces, like possessed Noh masks, whenever she closed her eyes. None at all.

She straightened her tie, checked the fit of her shoulder holster. Looked herself in the eyes and gave a decisive nod. _Back to work. I got this._

It was a simple enough assignment. Meet Rude and Reno, help transport some sensitive material from a warehouse to a more secure location. Easy, probably dull, but at least no one was going to trigger an apocalypse.

All three of them got to the company garage at oh-eight-hundred on the dot.

“Timing is everything, yo.” Reno gave her a grin as he took the driver’s seat. Rude opened the door for Elena, because he was just that kind of guy. Her own smile felt a little forced, but the knot in her gut began to ease as the familiar energy crackled between them.

Reno took the streets at a fast clip, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, nodding to the rhythm of his own internal music. Beside him, Rude slid his elbow across the back of the seat, glancing at Elena: Two small motions that brought her into the inner circle.

“Think this will take long?” she asked as Reno turned onto the long avenue filled with warehouses. The car slowed, cruised along for half the block, and stopped in front of a red brick building, identical to all the others.

“Nah, should be done by lunchtime,” said Reno. He hopped out, waiting while Rude got out and opened Elena’s door. “Hey, how about we hit that new Wutaian place on Third for lunch?”

“Your treat?” said Rude, as he and Elena followed Reno toward the side door of the warehouse.

“Sure, man--”

An echoing BOOM shook the sidewalk beneath them. Reno fell backwards and rolled. Rude threw himself over Elena. An avalanche of bricks, exploding outward from the side of the building, thundered down over the three of them, followed by a choking cloud of dust.

Elena coughed. Her ears rang. Somebody groaned. Reno’s voice came from a distance, fuzzy and distorted. “You! Stop!”

Shots sounded, three rapid pops. Running footsteps slapped the ground and faded. Was this part of the dreams? Was it happening all over again?

A large, warm weight lay over her, shifting slightly even as she recognized what it was: Rude. Breathing. Not dead. Thank Gaia.

Elena lifted her head, blinking gritty eyes. “Rude...are you hurt?”

He got his arms under him, rising to let her scramble out from under him. “I don’t think--ah, shit!”

For Rude, that was as good as a shout. He shifted to a sitting position, one hand gripping his knee. Already, it was swollen, and beads of sweat broke out on his brow.

He’d still managed to pull his gun with his other hand, and turned his head to see what his partner was doing.

“I’ll keep,” he said. “It’s just the knee. Help Reno.”

Elena rose. Her hands were scraped and she’d have bruises everywhere, but she could stand, and walk. She drew her own gun.

Reno crouched, mag rod in one hand, gun in the other, over a man lying in a crumpled heap amid smoking bricks and scattered boxes. One long, narrow box lay broken open under the man’s hand. Inside, nestled in black velvet, were five materia and one empty slot.

As Elena approached, Reno holstered the gun, letting the rod dangle from his hand.

He glanced back at Elena.

“How’s Rude?”

“Broken knee,” she said, “or maybe sprained. Who’s this guy?”

“Thief with a death wish.” Reno knelt next to the groaning man, who looked like he’d been flash-fried. “Ouch. Medium rare.”

Elena winced. Memory brushed her left hand, a burning whisper prickling across her palm. She curled her fingers inward, willing it away.

The man squinted up at the Turks, eyes half-hidden in swollen, reddened flesh. “Don’t gotta talk to you…”

“Think again.” The rod hovered before the man’s nose, giving him a sniff of the heated steel.. “Stealing Shinra property is a capital offense.” The rod slipped closer, closer. “Only takes one amp to kill, dude.”

“She took it!” the man yelped. “Little bitch grabbed the summon and left me!”

Summon? Elena looked at Reno. Materia in general were scarce since Meteorfall; a summon was so rare it was worth its weight in diamonds. Kadaj had had a summon; she remembered the monster, Bahamut SIN, looming over Edge, crushing buildings, killing…

Elena shook her head. The man was struggling to speak, his seared face a grotesque mask. “She’ll take it to Lynx…ten thousand gil…”

“There’s a familiar name,” said Reno.

“Never heard of him,” Elena said.

“Her. Used to operate in the Midgar slums. She’s runnin’ contraband in Edge now.”

“What’s she like?”

“Got all the warmth of a cobra.” Reno rose, powering down the rod. “What’s your partner look like?”

“About her size,” the man rasped, glancing at Elena. “Lighter blonde. Thin. Got a tat on her face. Blue star. Name’s Remy.”

He wheezed a gasping, gurgling laugh. “Lynx’s got support materia. She gets the summon, she’ll be top dog. Even the Shinra whelp’ll show his belly then…”

Elena stared at him. “What kind of summon?”

His mouth curved a crooked, bloody grin. “Odin.”

Lips pressed tight on what was likely an ugly curse, Reno nudged Elena’s arm. They walked back to Rude’s side and filled him in.

“We gotta get this fixed, like, yesterday,” said Reno. “If Lynx has the Added Effects, she could blow half of Edge to kingdom come. They’ll give her whatever she wants.”

“Do you know where to find Lynx?”

“Nope,” said Reno, “but I’m betting Remy does. We trail her, she’ll lead us right to Lynx.”

“But Rude…” said Elena.

“Go.” Rude pulled his phone out. “I’ll call for a couple ambulances and let the boss know.”

“I don’t like leavin’ you alone with our buddy there,” said Reno. “But I guess you could plug him from here, yeah?”

Gun propped on his good knee, Rude nodded. “Right between the eyes. Go on. The mission comes first.”

 


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt is on.

They followed the alley behind the warehouses. Remy had fled this way. A thin trail of blood had led from the scene to the alley; she’d been hurt, either by Reno’s bullet or in the explosion.

How hard could it be to find one skinny girl? Blue star tattoo, injured and bleeding. How far could Remy have gotten?

The blood trail got thinner and thinner, and suddenly petered out altogether. There were no windows here, no doors, nowhere for a runaway to hide.

Reno stopped, muttering curses. “Maybe she wasn’t hurt that bad.”

“Or she improvised a bandage.”

As Elena spoke, from somewhere overhead came a faint scraping sound. Elena looked up. Someone ducked back from the edge of the roof. How…?

There was a drainpipe from the edge of the roof down to the ground. A couple of feet above her head, five bloody fingerprints showed red against the dull grey pipe.

She snatched at Reno’s arm, and pointed to the prints on the pipe. Leaning close, she whispered, “We’ve been spotted.”

Reno’s eyes narrowed as he looked up toward the roof. “Bird’s gonna fly. Can you get up there? I’ll take the back door.”

It was only two floors up. Piece of cake. “I’ll get her,” Elena said.

Reno grinned. “Not if I get her first.” He winked, turned, and sprinted for the end of the alley.

Elena dug a pair of gloves out of a pocket and pulled them on. She leapt, got a grip on the pipe, and scurried up the wall.

As she scrambled over the gutter onto the roof, someone slipped out of sight behind a tall chimney. Elena pulled her gun, approaching from the opposite side.

“Remy! I know you’re there! Come out now and you won’t get hurt!”

Silence, then the sound of racing footsteps as her prey broke cover and ran.

Short, thin, clad in jeans and a dark hoodie, she sprinted for the far side of the roof. Elena took aim, but the girl dodged behind another chimney, reached the edge of the roof, crouched, and dropped.

Elena raced after her, only to see the kid sliding down a ladder leading to a lower roof. Her feet hit the roof and she was off again, listing a little as though she’d landed wrong, but she never slowed. Another, higher wall blocked her way--but there was a door in it. Just as Elena brought up the gun, Remy yanked open the door and was gone.

“Damn it!”

Elena holstered the gun and climbed down the ladder. Remy had left the door open, and when Elena got there she found a stairway leading down. Faintly, the sound of clattering footsteps echoed up the stairwell. 

Reno should be there to meet her. Elena took the stairs two at a time, reaching the sidewalk just in time to see Remy slam the door into Reno, knocking him flat on his ass she bulled past him. He let out a yell and whipped around, reaching. She evaded his grasp and kept running. Even with a slight limp, she ran like the wind.

“Get her!” He waved a frantic hand at Elena as he picked himself up.

Remy crossed the street, running full tilt through a crowd of people, and disappeared into the nearest bar.

Elena pushed through the crowd. Reno caught up and urged her on. “Go!”

They hit the doors side by side. Shouts erupted as Remy shoved her way through the bar’s patrons.

“Stop her!” Reno yelled.

A man made a grab for the girl. Remy ducked under his arm, snatched a beer bottle off the bar and broke it over his head. As he staggered, slipping in the spilled beer, she grabbed a bar stool and swung it with both hands. People went down, screaming and swearing; fists began to fly.

Elena stared. Holy shit, this kid was hell on wheels. Everyone seemed to blame everyone else. In seconds the taproom was a roiling mass of brawlers. Reno’s red head stood out, long tail flying as he threw punches and tried to work his way to the back of the room. Elena got one glimpse of a bright blue star on a pale face, behind Reno, before the shifting bodies blocked her view.

Damn being short! Elena clambered onto the bar, trying to catch sight of Remy. The girl had dropped the bar stool and melted into the crowd; where the hell was she now? Surely she’d made a run for the exit. Elena could see two doors at the back of the bar.

Reno lurched into view, struggling with a man twice his size. There wasn’t room to pull his mag rod out, let alone swing it; he threw a wild punch instead, connecting with his opponent’s jaw, but the man shook it off and wrapped both hands around Reno’s throat.

Standing on the bar, Elena kicked the man full in the face.

His head snapped back, and he dropped like a half-ton behemoth. Reno caught himself on the edge of the bar. “Thanks, Ele---watch out!”

Someone swept her up from behind, and tossed her into the thrashing crowd. She shrieked a curse, bouncing over heads, and godsdammit someone was going to lose a hand if they tried to cop a feel. Flailing, she threw herself sideways, rolled to the floor,  and smashed the heel of her hand onto the nose of the last guy to touch her.

Thank gods for gloves. Her hand ached, but the blood wasn’t hers.

“Hell, ‘Lena, we ain’t got time for crowd surfing!” Reno grabbed her arm and pulled her into a corner.

“Oh screw you. Where’s Remy?”

He pointed to the doors at the back. “Went that way.”

One door was labeled Kitchen, the other Exit.

“Which one?”

“Not sure. Probably don’t matter at this point.”

Elena sighed. “Pick one.”

He grinned. “Hey, girls, kitchens…”

Elena rolled her eyes. “Just for that I’m taking the exit. You go see if she’s hiding in the cupboards.”

“I’m kidding. I’d bet money she’s not in the building anymore. C’mon.”

The exit door let them out into another alley. To the right, a pair of tall garbage totes stood against the wall, and a third lay on its side, egg shells, vegetable peelings, meat bones and other trash scattered halfway across the alley’s floor. To the left, a wooden fence rose at least three feet over their heads, topped with a tangled length of barbed wire.

Near the top of the fence, a bloody handprint marked the weathered boards.

Reno looked from the trash to the fence and back again. “She ain’t stupid. One of these is a false trail.”

Elena stretched up on tiptoe to look at the handprint. “We know she can climb, but…this looks too fresh. It’s been at least half an hour since she got hurt.”

The injury couldn’t be that bad; Remy moved too fast. Even so, she’d only had a few minutes lead to throw the Turks off of her trail. As she thought it over, Elena scanned the shadows, the weeds, and the bits of trash along the bottom edge of the fence.What was that…?

“Reno, look!”

With two fingers, she lifted a small plastic bag, one corner dripping blood.

“Okay, kid did some finger painting,” said Reno. He pointed past the totes and the pile of garbage. “Made it look like she went over the fence, which means she really went the other way.”

“I guess.” It was a slap-dash job, almost too quick, too easy. Something didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t pin it down. Shaking her head, Elena tossed the bag back into the garbage, and followed Reno out onto the street.

“She’s gotta go north,” said Reno, breaking into a jog. “Lynx works that side of the city.”

“Wait,” said Elena. That nagging doubt dragged at her, slowing her steps. “We missed something, I’m just not sure what--”

A soft thud sounded from the alley behind them. Her eyes met Reno’s as the same thought struck them both. As one, they turned and ran back toward the alley.

“Dammit,” Reno huffed, “why didn’t we think of checking the other totes!”

“You’re the slum kid. You never hid in a garbage can?”

“I had standards!”

At the end of the alley, a slim figure clung to the top of the wooden fence, her fingers just under the barbed wire. Reno gave a shout as the girl kicked, got her feet against the boards, and scrambled the rest of the way up. She swung a leg over the wire and jumped.

“Boost me up!” Elena stopped at the fence. Reno bent to let her climb onto his knee, then his back.

“Watch the wire!” he barked. Once more Elena thanked the gods for a good pair of gloves. Part of the wire had come loose as Remy went over it, and dangled down the back of the fence; a scrap of torn denim clung to it. It hadn’t slowed her much, but she wasn’t that far ahead of them.

“I see her!”

Avoiding the loose wire, Elena eased her way over the fence and dropped to the ground. A moment later, Reno followed.

“Where’d she go?”

Elena pointed. “Through that gate!”

They ran. Past the gate, around a corner, and damn if the kid didn’t duck inside another building. Reno, by virtue of longer legs, passed Elena, who caught up a moment later. The building was unoccupied, its large open space empty and unlit. Remy had made it halfway across the floor. They’d have her in a second.

Elena allowed herself a moment’s triumph, until she saw where Remy was headed.

“Oh hell no!” Reno had seen it as well. Remy fell to her knees, pulled up a trap door, and dropped down the hole. She was gone.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Difficulties emerge.

Skidding to a stop at the edge, Reno shoved one foot into the hole just as the door came down.

“Gotcha!” he grunted, wincing as the trap door banged against his foot. Bending, he grabbed the ring on the end of the door, and yanked. It rattled, but stayed down.

“Son of a…she latched it! With me stuck in it!”

Elena bit her lip. It wasn’t funny, but…yeah, it was. “Put your foot in it, huh?”

“Ha, ha. Help me get it open!”

Lying flat on the floor, Elena squirmed her arm into the open space between the the door and Reno’s foot.

“I can’t find…oh, wait.” The latch was a simple hook-and-eye, hard to grip from her awkward angle. She tried pulling, but the leverage was wrong. Fumbling a bit, she pushed instead. The sharp point of the hook scraped her fingers; she pulled her hand out, wrapped it in a hankie from her pocket, and slipped it back in.

One hard push, and the hook popped free. “Got it!”

Reno pulled the door up. They both peered down. The drop wasn’t far, and there were iron rungs set into the wall. They clambered down, landing on the muddy floor of a wide, brick-lined corridor. Small, bare light bulbs were strung along one wall, giving off a dim glow; the wall opposite was damp, moisture dripping down the bricks to puddle on the floor.

A line of small, narrow footprints pocked the middle of the floor, leading into the distance.

The Turks set off at a jog, following the footprints. A few yards on, pockets of shadow appeared where the bulbs had apparently burned out. They found a side passage, but a quick examination with a penlight showed that the footprints continued down the main corridor. Reno and Elena went on.

In the dark, the walls closed in. Elena refused to think of the Northern Cave. She’d never been afraid of the dark; she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.

It was much warmer here, for one thing. The dampness clung to skin and hair, and the air was heavy with an oily, musty scent that stung the nostrils.

“You smell that?” asked Reno, slowing to a walk.

“Yeah. Rats?”

“Don’t think so. It’s too strong.” He pulled out the penlight again, clicking it on and peering ahead. “Maybe some kinda drug lab.”

“Is Lynx into drugs?”

“Not that I ever heard, but you never know. Hold up--what’s this?”

The beam from the penlight struck a black iron gate barring their way. Flashing the light through the bars revealed the footprints continuing on past the gate. Reno pulled on the latch, but, as expected, it was locked.

He produced a set of lock picks from inside his jacket. “You want the honors, or should I?”

“I need the practice,” said Elena, holding out her hand. Reno gave her the picks, and she settled to work.

The first pick was too small; she exchanged it for another. That was better; probing the mechanism, listening for the tell-tale click of the tumbler shifting, steadied her nerves. The pick scraped against rust, she’d have to be careful here.

“You hear that?” said Reno.

“What?”

“Dunno. Sounded like--”

And then she heard it.  _ Hufff, hufff, hufff _ …from behind them.

“Like breathing,” she finished for him, looking up from the lock. “Like something really big…breathing.”

Reno pulled out his mag rod. “Hurry up with that lock, willya?”

She bent to her task, except now her hands shook a little, and the pick slipped. _ Concentrate, dammit!  _ Don’t think, let the muscle memory take over.

Another breath. A snort, and the rasp of claws in the dirt.

“Come on, come on,” Reno snapped.

“I’m trying! Don’t be a nag.”

She almost had it, but the pick slid off the tumbler. She bit her lip and tried again, while behind them the huffing breath and the scratching claws and the oily, musty stench came closer, closer, closer.

She couldn’t help it, she had to look. The shadows coalesced into a huge, pale, horned head, a long pointed beak, and two red-black, burning eyes. Its head brushed the ceiling, the bulk of its body looming behind it, all sinuous muscle and talons and a corkscrew whip of a tail.

“Shadow Creeper,” Elena squeaked, drawing her gun.

“Holy shit,” Reno spat, and swung up the rod, a blue arc sparking through the air.

The thing hissed, and pounced.

It met the mag rod face-first. Blue sparks burst across its face, and the rod swung again, aimed for the beady eyes. A flash, a sizzle, and the beast shook its head, screaming. One paw lashed out. Reno ducked. Claws slashed the air above his head. Elena fired, aiming for the body; the shot blew the tip off one of the talons on its elbow. Another shot struck its rump, a third buried itself in the ribcage.

The Creeper screeched, thrusting its head forward. Reno slammed the sizzling mag rod into its eyes. The thing backed off, pawing deep ruts in the dirt floor.

“So, Elena,” Reno panted, casual as hell, “how about that lock?”

She sucked in a deep breath, clicking the safety on her gun. “Just a second, Reno.”

If he could keep his head, so could she. Just because the fucking Remnants had left one of their little pets behind didn’t mean she was going to lose her cool. Not now.

She scooped up the pick, shoved it back into the lock, while the Shadow Creeper pawed at its head, circling and hissing, and Reno held it off with the sparking rod. She could do it, no pressure, this wasn’t nearly as bad as her final test for the Turks, Tseng watching with his poker face and that stop-watch in his hand.

_ I got this, I got this… _

The tumbler fell. “Got it!”

Elena rose and yanked the gate open. She slipped past it, Reno on her heels, and as the gate clanged shut again the Creeper leaped, crashing into the iron bars. The gate shook, but it held. Reno and Elena ran on, and didn’t look back.

They reached a bend in the corridor and rocketed around the corner at full speed, not stopping until they couldn’t hear the screams of the outraged beast any longer.

Doubled over, hands on her knees, Elena let her mind go blank while she caught her breath. Reno leaned against the wall, mag rod in one hand as it powered down. He met her gaze and grinned. 

“Turks one, Creeper zero.”

She grinned back. “Just another day at the office.”

“Gonna need a tall cold one after this.”

She straightened up. “You and me both. I’ll buy.”

“Deal. Now, where are we?”

“End of the line,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Two men stepped out of the shadows. One tall and lean, one short and broad, both were roughly dressed and wore fighting gloves.

Elena slid back a step or two to Reno’s side.

From behind the two men, a short, slim figure in jeans and a dark hoodie stepped forward.

“That’s them,” she said. “They’re Shinra! They’ve been following me all day!”

“Well,” said one of the men, curling his hands into fists, “if you two’re chasin’ trouble, you found it.”

  
  
  
  
  



	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy is cornered, but not out of options.

The taller man lunged at Reno. The short one aimed his fists at Elena. She dodged, grabbed for his arm. Missed, slipped aside as he threw another punch. She kicked out, catching his hip, throwing him off balance. If she could just gain a second to draw her gun--but he came again, there wasn’t time, and she’d had just about enough.

Anger bubbled up, narrowing her field of vision. She skipped back to avoid a rush, spun on her heel as he passed her. Flung her arm around his neck and threw, letting his momentum smash him into the wall.

He was down. She turned toward Reno, in time to see the mag rod connect with his opponent’s chest. The rod was noticeably dimmer, its power rapidly fading, but it was enough. The man jerked and crumpled to the ground, groaning.

Elena caught a sound, the scrape of a shoe in the dirt, and remembered Remy. With Reno behind her, Elena reached into the shadows and yanked the girl into the light.

Remy’s hood fell back, and Elena recoiled. That white-blond hair, those cold blue eyes, that face so young and pale as death, _ohgodohgod…_

“Let go!” The shriek pulled Elena back into the present. Remy twisted free, but Reno blocked her path.

“Just gimme the summon, kid, and we can all go home.” Standing close by Elena’s side, his arm nudged hers in silent support. It steadied her, grounded her. Kadaj was gone, as were his brothers. They were dead. Elena survived. That had to count for something.

Remy stared at them, eyes darting back and forth, seeking escape. A small blue star marked her left cheekbone. Elena looked more closely, finding all the ways the girl was different from the youths who tormented her dreams.

Clad in worn denim and a threadbare hoodie, one hand roughly bandaged, she couldn’t be more than fifteen. No taller than Elena, Remy’s arms were too thin, her eyes too large for her face. When was the last time this girl had eaten?

“Look, kid,” said Reno, weariness and impatience coloring his tone, “we know Lynx is offering ten big ones for a summon. The Prez will pay twice that, okay?”

Elena raised a brow. For all she knew, Reno might be authorized to make that offer, but she’d still like to see Rufus’s face when he heard of it.

“It’s not the money!” Remy clenched her fists, shifting from foot to foot. “I mean it’s partly that, but it’s more! She’s got my little sister and I have to get her back and you can’t stop me!”

She came at them like an enraged cat, kicking and clawing at their faces. Elena stumbled back into Reno, knocking him sideways, and Remy bounded past them, heading for the shadows at the end of the corridor.

They followed, only a few steps behind her as she burst through a door into a large, high-ceilinged hall. Pallets and shelves lined the walls; stacks of boxes made the space into a maze. Remy dodged left and right, racing up the aisles until she came to a breathless stop at a dais crowned with a huge, old-fashioned mahogany desk under a high, round window.

Behind the desk, framed by various books, ledgers, odds and ends, and a banker’s lamp, sat a woman. Dark haired, dark eyed, with a thin, smooth face that could be any age from thirty to sixty, she looked down her long, thin nose at the three people who’d just crashed into her---office? Home?

Her eyes skipped from Remy to Elena and landed on Reno. Her voice dripped like liquid gold. “Well, well, long time, no see, Red. I’d heard you’d sold out to the Shinra. I hope they pay you well.”

“They do, for a fact.” Reno propped his mag rod on one shoulder, slouching, the picture of nonchalance, but Elena wasn’t fooled. He was balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to move. “Nice to see ya, Rinkusu. Doin’ well for yourself?”

“As you see.” Lynx, Rinkusu, whatever she called herself, waved a hand at the jam-packed space. Elena eyed the boxes and crates. If all this was contraband, Lynx was doing well indeed.

Remy ignored the Turks and approached the desk. “I have the summon, Lynx! Just like you asked!”

“About time,” Lynx snapped. “I heard about the explosion. You two idiots nearly destroyed everything of value! And now you bring these creatures of Shinra into my private space!”

“I’m sorry! They followed me! I couldn’t shake them!” Remy dug into a pocket and pulled out a materia, clutching it tightly. “But I did bring the summon!”

Lynx extended a slim, well-manicured hand. Gems flashed from a bangle on her wrist. “Hand it over, fool!”

Remy took a step back. “Wait. Where’s my sister? Where’s Maddie? You promised!”

Lynx rose, gripping a small revolver in her other hand. “I don’t pay for incompetence. Your debt’s not paid, girl. The child stays until I say otherwise. Now give me that summon.”

“No!” Remy backed away. “You have to let Maddie go, or--or I’ll give it to the Shinra!”

Lynx sneered, stepping around the desk. “Stupid brat,” she said, and fired.

Elena didn’t think or plan. She leapt, tackling Remy to the floor. The bullet passed so close she felt the heat of its passing on her scalp. A second shot popped, and bodies hit the floor amid shouts, grunts, curses.

Elena turned her head to see Reno and Lynx struggling on the floor behind her. Remy fought free of Elena’s grasp, lurched to her feet, and flung herself onto Lynx.

If she meant to pound the woman flat, Elena wouldn’t interfere, but Remy grabbed Lynx’s arm and yanked the bangle free. She backed up, summon in one hand, bangle in the other.

“You give me back my sister, you bitch!” Remy screamed, sliding the bangle onto her own arm.

Realization hit Elena like a punch to the gut. The gems. They weren’t just jewels. They were the support materia. She could see the same knowledge in Reno’s face as he let go of Lynx, her gun now safely in his hand. Lynx shrank away, fluid as the cat she was named for.

Remy gripped the summon in both hands, holding it high like an offering to the gods. Her eyes fixed on the orb, focused with laser-like intensity. Light flared as the bangle and the materia began to glow.

“Remy, don’t!” Elena started toward her, but Reno grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

“Too late!”

A deep, subliminal hum shook the floor, rattled the walls. A box fell with a dull thud; the air went still, thick with unbearable tension. Shadows gathered in the center of the room.

He was taller than Sephiroth, broad as a mountain, dark as the abyss, armored in gold. Two curved, sweeping horns rose from his head, and his sword measured easily three hands’-width across.

His mount pawed the floor, eight steel-shod hooves striking sparks, its grey hide graced with golden armor like its master’s. Its eyes burned, red suns casting sunset glow over Remy’s white face.

Elena reached for Reno’s hand. He grasped her fingers, tapped a quick pattern. _Run if we can._ She nodded.

“Who summons Me?” Odin rumbled, a storm-front come to rest in Lynx’s lair.

Remy swallowed hard, her whole body trembling, but she stood and faced the god.

“I did, Allfather.”

“This is no battlefield,” said the god. “Where is your enemy?”

“There!” Remy pointed at Lynx, huddled on the floor beside her desk. “She threatened my little sister! And she tried to kill me!”

“Is it so?” Odin peered down at Lynx, who stared back, frozen in place. “Who threatens a child is honorless.” He looked again at Remy. “What would you have me do?”

“I just want my sister back,” Remy said, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t care about Lynx! Make her give Maddie back!”

“This I might do,” the god said, one hand stroking his bearded chin. “But always there is a price. What will you give?”

He looked at Elena, at Reno, at Lynx. “Will you give these souls to Me?”

_Oh, shit,_ mouthed Reno silently. His grip on Elena’s hand tightened. She tensed to run, but who could escape a god’s reach?

Remy shook her head. “No, no, they’re not mine to give! They saved my life, I--” She stopped, visibly drawing a deep breath, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Myself. I give myself, Allfather. It’s all I have to give.”

Odin studied her. Elena’s heartbeat filled the silence, surely everyone could hear it.

“If I accept your life, young one,” said the god, “you will be Mine forever. You will live out your life, and care for your sister, but someday, when I deem the time is right, your life is forfeit to My will. Be warned, those whom I claim do not simply pass easily in their sleep.”

Remy shut her eyes. When they opened, they swam with tears, but a small, ironic smile curved her lips. “That’s fine. It’s not a gentle world, lord Odin. I’ve always known the risks. As--as long as Maddie gets to grow up, then I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

“Such courage is rare in one so young.” Odin held out one huge hand. “So it shall be. Come.”

Remy reached up, stretching her arm to its full length to meet his hand. Red light enveloped her hand, showing bones and sinews through the glow. Remy gasped as though with pain, but it lasted only a moment. Odin withdrew his hand.

“The bargain is done.” Turning his massive head to confront Lynx, he lowered his sword until the shining point hovered an inch from her face.

“Where is the child?”

Lynx covered her eyes with one hand. “Downstairs! She’s not hurt, I swear it! She’s just locked in!”

“Keys!” Remy snapped. Lynx pulled a ring of keys from her pocket and threw them at Remy’s feet.

“Are you satisfied, girl?” said Odin.

“Yes, lord,” said Remy. “It’s all I wanted.”

“So be it.” Odin made no sign to his mount, but it moved toward Lynx. He lifted the sword high above his head, and brought it whistling down onto Lynx’s desk, cleaving it neatly in two. Ledgers, lamp, knick-knacks, and all cascaded to the floor.

“You were lucky this day,” he growled. His mount reared up, legs flailing. Lynx cowered, taking cover behind what was left of the desk.

Odin flared, faded, his image shrinking into darkness. He was gone.

Time took hold again, light falling in a dusty beam through the round window. Elena sucked in a breath, letting go of Reno’s hand.

“Awesome,” said Reno, his voice just a bit shaky. “So, Remy, about that summon--?”

Remy stood, materia in one hand, Lynx’s keys in the other. She looked shell-shocked, but found her voice. “Oh. I guess…I don’t need it now. Here.”

She handed the orb and the bangle to Reno. “I gotta go get Maddie. Um, there’s the way out.” She pointed down the nearest aisle.

“Wait!” Elena approached. Remy held her ground. She was good at that.

“Look, what Reno said about the money,” said Elena. “We can totally get that for you. I mean, it’s only fair. You did return the summon, and you’re going to need it. For your sister.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Reno said. “For real, kid. Promise.”

Remy considered them both, clearly wondering how much their word was worth. Reno caught on, and held up the summon. “I swear.”

Remy smiled. “Okay. I’ll send you a message and we’ll work it out. Right now I gotta go get Maddie!”

She ran off. Reno shook his head. “Damn, we just used Rufus Shinra’s money to buy back his own property. He’s either gonna marry her, or make her a Turk.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Elena. A Turk’s life had its perils, but Remy seemed to have no fear for herself. They’d have to teach her caution, so she could see her little sister grow up. She’d gain a family, and that was no bad thing.

Granted, it was a family that played with explosives, dealt with criminals, and fought some of the nastiest creatures on Gaia, but Elena wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hey,” she said, on a sudden thought. “Where’s Lynx?”

The woman was gone. Under the desk was a bolt hole, exposed when Odin had sliced it in two. While their backs were turned, Lynx had run.

“Oh, what the hell,” said Reno. “She’ll turn up. Let’s go. We gotta check on Rude, and then I want that beer.”

“Might as well. We got the job done, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, ‘Lena, we sure as hell did.”

Elena put an arm around Reno as they sought the exit. Nightmares faded; this was warm, solid reality, and she couldn’t help smiling.

_I got this._

**Author's Note:**

> My depiction of Odin is probably somewhat different from the games; as a pagan, it seemed prudent to show the god the respect he deserves.


End file.
